Episode 364: Choice, Habit, Love: How Actors Build Real Momentum
Acting Business Boot Camp
Actors often wait for motivation. We hope a burst of inspiration will get us moving, keep us consistent, or push us to the next level. But real growth rarely starts with motivation. It starts with one small choice. In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about the simple cycle that has changed my life many times over. Choice. Habit. Love. It’s a framework you can use in your acting career, your training, and your personal development to build strength and momentum in a way that actually lasts. The Moment I Realized Something Needed to Change A few years ago, I was...
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Episode 363: The Power of Slow as an Actor
Acting Business Boot Camp
Why Slow Is the New Secret Weapon for Actors The entertainment industry glorifies hustle. Fast auditions, faster turnarounds, constant pressure to keep up. But what if slowing down is the real secret to booking more roles and building a lasting career? In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about the power of slow and why being intentional, grounded, and patient can make you not only a stronger performer but also a more fulfilled human being. The Myth of Hustle: Why Speed Doesn’t Equal Success We’ve been conditioned to think that “busy” means...
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Episode 362: Paywalls, Performances, and the Price of Transparency
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Irony of Paid Transparency I saw a post the other day that made me stop mid-scroll. An actor—let’s call him Workshop Guy—was going viral for saying he was “tired of gatekeeping in the industry.” He wanted to break down the walls, create transparency, build community… all that good stuff. And then, at the end of his video, came the link. A $200 workshop. I laughed out loud. Because, honestly, that’s not transparency. That’s marketing. Let’s talk about why. The Anti-Gatekeeping Paywall Here’s the thing: if your solution to exclusivity is to sell tickets to your...
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Episode 361: Self Tapes That Book Part II
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Heart Behind a Great Self-Tape I’ll be honest—I couldn’t even remember how I start my podcast today. “Hello, I hope you had a great week?” That sounds right. Anyway, welcome back to Self-Tapes That Book, Part Two. Last week we talked about tech and mindset, about creating a space that supports your confidence instead of draining it. The kind of space that makes you feel like you just slipped into your favorite outfit—the one that makes you feel unstoppable. That’s exactly how I want your self-tape setup to feel: effortless, energizing, and completely you. Four Keys...
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Episode 360: Self Tapes that Book Part 1
Acting Business Boot Camp
In this episode, I’m diving into one of the most important topics for any working actor today: self-tapes. They’re no longer an occasional request or a pandemic workaround. Self-tapes are the audition room now. That means your setup, your mindset, and your energy have to communicate professionalism and confidence before you ever say a line. After losing my voice for a few weeks (and getting some incredible help from Mandy Fisher, Rose Marie, and Taylor), I wanted to come back with something that felt useful and practical. Because here’s the truth: the actors who treat...
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Episode 359: Do Not Get Into Voiceover If Any of These 3 Areas Will Be Drained
Acting Business Boot Camp
Voiceover is a beautiful and rewarding field. But if you’re not protecting your energy, creativity, and finances, it will eat you alive before you ever find your footing. I’ve seen too many talented actors get burned out because they thought VO was just about having a “great voice.” It isn’t. It’s a craft and a business rolled into one. And if any of those three pillars is running on empty, your career won’t last. Energy: Your True Currency Behind every polished 30-second spot is hours of research, auditions, editing, outreach, marketing, and more. Without systems to...
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Episode 358: What’s a Motto With You?
Acting Business Boot Camp
In this episode, I talk about mottos. Those little slogans or mantras that can actually keep you going in a business that is often messy, unpredictable, and overwhelming. A motto is not just decoration. It’s a tool. It helps you: Stay grounded when the industry feels chaotic. Filter choices and make better decisions. Communicate your identity and values quickly. Build momentum through small daily actions. I’ll share a quick history of mottos, what makes a good one, and a few of my favorites like: Grow through every no Truth over performance Consistent action, creative life ...
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Episode 356: The Importance of the Language of the Agents & the CD's
Acting Business Boot Camp
Why Learning the “Language” Matters Actors spend years honing their craft, but many miss one critical piece: learning how to communicate in the Language of the Agents and the Casting Directors. This isn’t just about vocabulary. It’s about aligning your training, business practices, and mindset so the industry sees you as the solution—not the problem. As a casting director, I see it firsthand. Actors who know how to speak this language get representation, book roles, and build sustainable careers. Those who don’t? They’re quickly overlooked. The Three Pillars of a Successful...
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Episode 355: Grounded and Realistic Character Building
Acting Business Boot Camp
Hey there, it’s Mandy Fisher. Welcome back to the Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast. I’ve been in the voiceover world for over 20 years, and if there’s one thing I repeat over and over, it’s this: all voiceover is character work. Yes, even that five-second toothpaste ad. Even the audiobook that goes on for twelve hours. Even the one-liner in a loop group session. If I don’t believe in the character I’m creating, the audience won’t either—and you’d be surprised how quickly people can tell when something feels fake. Why Character Work Matters in VO Voiceover isn’t...
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Episode 354: Paula Tiso on Narration for Documentaries
Acting Business Boot Camp
This week’s episode is all about documentary narration. Voiceover actor Paula Tiso joins me to share her journey from sketch comedy in Los Angeles to working steadily in promos, radio imaging, true crime, and documentary series. We talk about training, the shift from “perky” reads to grounded storytelling, and what it really takes to support a story with your voice. About Paula: Paula Tiso is a veteran voiceover actor whose work spans documentary narration, true crime, television affiliates, video games, and more. She’s voiced Smithsonian Channel documentaries, Oxygen and ID...
info_outlineSo today, we are going to talk about goals for the first quarter of 2024.
January through March 31st is the first quarter of the year.
We are setting 3 to 5 goals for the first quarter of 2024.
Now, the other thing is that if you do the full yearly goals, you could break that down a little bit, baby-stepping into that first quarter.
But what I want you to be thinking of is the first of the year through March 31st.
That's where I want your focus to be because it's a much more bite-sized piece to apply your goals to and your positive thoughts and actions towards.
I want to give you some questions to think about:
The first question is, with these goals that you have, where do you feel you are at in achieving them?
Talk about what you've done in the past and where that has brought you.
And then the next thing I want you to ask yourself is, looking at where you are at in achieving them and what you've done in the past, how has that made you feel?
What are your emotions around it?
If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, you will change.
Now, the reason why I asked you where are you at in achieving them and how does that make you feel because if you did write something down, "I feel like I've let myself down, I feel like I just keep procrastinating, I feel like I'm such a loser…"
I want you right now to feel that pain. I want you to feel it.
I want you to get uncomfortable. I want you to recognize all of those things that you just said. Why? Not because I'm some masochist. No, but because I want to get you to change. If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, you'll change.
And then I was hoping you could write this: Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
There's that wonderful phrase "Do something today that yourself in year from now will thank you for."
Use your mind to govern your brain.
Perfectionism leads to procrastination leads to paralysis.
Now, I have one more journal question for you:
How do you feel when you do not do what you said you were going to do?
When you have a thought, that thought leads to an emotion and then to an action. Which then goes back to reiterating that initial thought.
I want you now to make three columns.
I want you to put one of your goals in the first column.
So you're going to put down one of your goals.
And then, in the second column, I want you to write down some thoughts that support that goal.
So, if my goal is to be a working actor, the thought or thoughts that you would want to write in that second column are I am a successful working actor.
I go from success to success in my acting career.
I love myself, and I approve of myself.
So some good positive affirmations around that goal. Because your thoughts need to back up that goal.
What else needs to back up that goal? Your actions.
So, I want you to take a look at whatever that goal is, and I want you to think of one to three small actions that you can take towards that goal.
What's your goal?
What are the thoughts that support the goal?
What are the baby actions that you can take towards supporting that goal?
And that is the secret to success.
It's your thoughts, and your actions must back up what you want.
I want you to go back now and look at your goals, and I want you to put next to them, whether they are a habit goal or an achievement goal.
So let's say I want to take a vacation in 2024, a two-week vacation in 2024. You need to save up for that. That's an achievement goal.
But let's say you want to practice your voice five times a week for half an hour each one of those times. That is a habit goal.
So take a moment and review all the goals you have written down and write down if they are habits or achievement.
I want you to look at each one of your goals, and I want you to ask yourself, is it a goal that is actually achievable or attainable by the end of the quarter?
Or is it a quarter/year project?
It should make you just a little uncomfortable.
If you babystep your goals enough so that those baby steps are something that you eagerly put yourself forward to do that help you to move in that direction, that is something that is great.
Again, that is great because it builds self-esteem. It builds confidence.
Now, I want you to look at your goals and I want you to ask yourself questions about them.
What is my motive for making my first goal, second goal, third goal happen for me?
What will I get out of making it happen? What is my motive?
We do things because there is something in it for us. And it's okay to be selfish.
When you get to those times when you really do not feel like doing the action step for your goal, you can remind yourself what your motive is.
And that's when you can really start asking yourself. How bad do I want it?
I consider that question to be the secret ingredient.
I operate like this all the time because not every single day do I feel like doing things towards my goals.
But when I remind myself what my motive is, I remind myself how it's going to feel when I achieve it. Ooh, baby, that lights a fire under my ass.